Jumble House bread, cooking, Healthy Diet, Learning through Play, Recipes, Science

Delicious Milk Loaf 

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I love really rough, dark, whole grain bread oozing seeds and nuts but nowadays either because of age or IBS, or probably both, my system does NOT like it and objects strongly. 

Unfortunately, most of the foods IT likes, I do NOT! 

So,  I’ve come up with a white Loaf which both of us can enjoy.  ( family and friends with ‘normal uncomplaining guts’ like it as well! ) 


It’s light, moist, tasty and keeps really well. It actually brings to mind the bread Heidi used to take to her Granma who found the  rough brown bread difficult to chew!   But, if you haven’t read HEIDI then you won’t know what I’m talking about! If you have, then you are probably as old as me! 

I use strong white flour and I like to crumble a Vitamin C (ascorbico acid) tablet into the flour as it speeds up the process but not absolutely necessary. I also always use fresh yeast. I just love to watch it frothing and the smell is divine. 

The olive oil should be Extra Virgin and allow three nice big tablespoons. 

The grated carrot seems odd I know but it adds moisture and colour and taste (but it definitely does NOT taste of carrot. Trust me! )

We don’t have an oven at Jumble House so I do have to bake the bread in the Breadmaker but that’s all I use it for as I like to knead the dough myself. If I had an oven I would definitely use that to bake the bread because the crust is infinitely better plus you can make interestingly shaped loaves and cobs and bread rolls.  

Anything else ….. only to say that kids love bread making and it is so good for their coordination and strengthens those little hand muscles in preparation for years of writing!  Real dough is better than playdough cause you can eat the results! White dough is also easier to manipulate than brown.  Get them making little plaited rolls and cobs and all kinds of animal shapes. 

Since I buy fresh yeast in twin packs I sometimes use the second cube mixed with sugar and warm water to blow up a balloon!  (The mixture poured into a plastic water bottle with the balloon over the neck).   It’s a good way of demonstrating just how and why the bread is rising and what makes those little air pockets.  There’s a fun video for kids on my channel showing this. Just click on the link below: 

Link to video for children. All about yeast. Shows how to blow up a balloon with yeast.

Jumble House cooking, Creativity, Food

Lemon Cheesecake 

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This is a quick, creamy and deliciously lemony Cheesecake. 

Preraratin time:  thirty minutes plus two hours in the fridge. 

About six servings. No bake. No eggs.

The ingredients: 


Mascarpone – One tub of full fat. 

Butter – 4 ozs

Nestle Condensed milk – one tube

Fresh Cream – 250mls –  the whipping type. (I used half the one in the photograph.)

McVitie Digestive Biscuits -about 12

Gelatine – 2 sheets 

Lemons – the juice and grated rind of three big ones. 

Method: 

It’s best to watch the video but just a few points to observe.

  • I really believe in getting kids involved in the kitchen and they will enjoy helping to put this Cheesecake together. Even the smallest will have fun smashing the biscuits up . Supervised of course!  Then they can help to spoon the mixture in the dishes before licking the spoon of course! 
  • I followed the instructions on my gelatine advising to soak for ten minutes in cold water and then added it to the cheese and cream mixture prior to whisking . But do use as little water as possible. It helps if you break the gelatine into,small pieces. 
  • There’s no need to add sugar because this is present in the condensed milk. 
  • Choose large juicey good quality lemons. It really does make a difference.  
Jumble House cooking, Food, Recipes, Uncategorized

COUNTRY CHICKEN

 


A lovely hearty dish for cooler days. 

Let’s the kids roll the sausage balls for you. They love the sticky jobs that us adults hate! 

This recipe works  really well in the slow cooker or on top of the cooker or can be casseroled on a low heat in the oven. 

Ingredients: 


I know it doesn’t look very appetising but it REALLY does taste delicious when cooked!’

For 4 people: 

4 CHICKEN joints 

3/4 thick good butchers sausages . Preferably with herbs. Linconshire sausages would work well.  Umbrian sausages are SUPERB!   

Two wine glasses of red wine.

One stock cube. Two big Cloves  of garlic. One red onion. 

A pack of back olives with stones. 

Two tins of good chunky tinned tomatoes.

Two teaspoons of oregano. 

Peperoncino or chilli pepper to taste 

One thinly sliced red pepper. 



METHOD: 

First skin the sausage and roll into balls using four . You should get two/ three good sized balls from each. 

Rub the chicken joints with flour. 

Put a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a deep pan. Add the chicken and sausage. Toss on medium heat for just four/five minutes then remove to a plate. 



Add onions and garlic to the pan and cook gently for five minutes. 

Replace chicken and sausage and Pour in the wine. 

Simmer for five minutes then add everything else .

Stir well and then turn down heat and cook with lid on very gently for an hour.  ( or put in the slow cooker or casserole it in the oven).

Taste and adjust seasoning. 

Serve with crispy sauté potatoes and tiny tender peas. 

Jumble House cooking, Food, Healthy Eating, Recipes, Uncategorized

Jumble House Stuffed Peppers 


These peppers are so gorgeous and filling!  Served with a salad they make a delicious, easy and healthy light meal. 

They are best cooked in the oven but if you, like me, don’t have one then it is possible to  use a microwave as you will see from the video: 

The ingredients: 

Large red peppers

Onions, garlic, fresh tomatoes,

Oregano, salt and pepper

Risotto rice

Jumble House cooking, Food, Healthy Eating, Recipes, Uncategorized

Stir Fry 


At Jumble House we like our meals to be healthy AND tasty and, if you have been following our blog you will know that we also like food with a bit of a kick!  Nothing bland! 

I can’t see any point in eating food, healthy or not, if you don’t actually ENJOY it.  Food needs to look good, smell good and taste good and what could  be nicer and more tempting than colourful, crisp vegetables and plump, juice prawns! 
                         Click on this link to be tempted!
This stir-fry is crammed full of colourful vegetables and great smelling spices and herbs. I’ve substituted Tamari Sauce for Soy sauce and lemon juice for Balsamic Vinegar to reduce the sugar content but feel free to experiment! 

The ingredients 


A large thinly sliced red onion.  2/3 cloves of garlic and about 3 teaspoons of chopped fresh ginger. 

A large red pepper and some green vegetables. (Broccoli, Sugar Snap Peas, Mangetout) 

Mushrooms

A carrot cut into thin strips. ( this adds the sweetness ) 

Prawns ( you can substitute cubed chicken or Quorn ) 

Spices:  A pinch of Crushed Chillies and Cumin. I also like to add half a teaspoon of Chinese Spice. 

Sauces: Tamari and Thai Fish Sauce. Lemon Juice plus 2 tablespoons of Marsala or Sherry.

To finish: A few broken cashew nuts and chopped Coriander Leaf.    (Optional) 



Method: 

Pour a couple of tablespoons of olive oil into a wok. Heat. 

Quickly fry the onion, garlic, spices and ginger for about 3 minutes. 

Push to the sides of the wok and add the vegetables that need the most cooking.  Cook on medium heat for  another 3 minutes then push to the side and add more. Continue this process until all the vegetables are in the wok. ( I suggest adding the mushrooms last.). The vegetables should stay crisp so don’t overcook. 

Mix together 1 tablespoon of Tamari Sauce,  1 tablespoon of Fish sauce and 2 tablespoon of sherry/Marsala or similar and add to the pan with the prawns. Cook until the prawns are cooked and a nice healthy pink (if using fresh ones) or heated through (frozen variety). Taste and add more spices/liquid as necessary. 

Stir in a handful of cashews. Sprinkle with chopped coriander leaf and a teaspoon of sesame oil and serve with rice or noodles. 

Jumble House celebrations, cooking, entertainment, Families, Festivals, Italian Cuisine, Travel, Umbria

The Largest Pan in the World! 

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Yes!  It is a real frying pan and it is used just once every year for the FESTA DELLA PADELLA in Passignano sul Trasimeno. 

Festa della Padella. (The feast of the Pan) this year is from the 24th to the 28th of August. 

This, the largest frying pan in the world can fry 2 tons of fish an hour! 

Eighteen burners powered by 6 gas cylinders heat 5.8 tons of oil.  

At this festa you can enjoy a great menu of fish from Lake Trasimeno plus music and a lively street market. There are also concerts on both nights from 22.00.

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This is the scene during the day with hundreds of tables set out along the the perimeter of the lake. 

The feasting however only starts as dusk approaches and continues in candlelight when the scene becomes magical. 

On the menu is a wide variety of fish some of which is cooked in the pan. 

Jumble House cooking, Creativity, Food

Figs!

Yesterday Geirgie and Alfie went picking figs.
They enjoyed eating the rugs fresh  from the tree but picked so many that they needed to find a way to keep them. To preserve them.

Maisie suggested cooking them in pear juice and Marsala wine.

Thet decided to do this but wanted to make it a bit different. To experiment.

Georgie really likes walnuts so they added a handful and Alfie likes hot spiced  so they added a sprinkle of Peperoncino which is like chilli pepper.

Then into a very big pan went a small wine glass of Marsala wine, an individual small carton of pear juice, a sprinkle of chilli pepper and a small handful of chopped walnuts.

Then the figs were added and everything was simmered for fifteen minutes and left to cool.

Once the Figs  had cooled down they bottled them and put them in the fridge.


The Jumbles are going to eat the figs with Mascapone or ice cream.

Delicious!

For more recipes visit our channel and the Cook with Maisie playlist,

Cook with Maisie